Golf ball retriever

ABSTRACT

A golf ball retriever for mechanical entrapment and pickup of difficult to reach golf balls. A semi-enclosed ball cage attached to a tubular shaft extension handle, with a spring-driven, ballretaining plunger that, when mechanically released, holds the ball in the cage, particularly when the inverted cage is lowered on a ball, and, when the cage is upright, it is used in a scooping action for quick and easy ball retrieval.

United States Patent [1 1 McKee GOLF BALL RETRIEVER [76] Inventor: Roy L. McKee, 1506 Wagon Wheel, Garland, Tex. 75040 [22] Filed: June 24, 1974 [21] Appl. N0.: 482,243

[52] US. Cl. 294/19 A; 294/99 R [5 l] Int. Cl A63b 57/00 [58] Field of Search 294/19 R, 19 A, 26, 61,

294/99 R, 103, HO R, ll0 A; 24/238, 239, 241 PS, 241 SL; 56/328 R, 337, 338;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,538,325 l/l95l Pfeiffer 294/19 A June 3, 1975 3,442,544 5/l969 Faber 294/19 A 3,547,477 I 2/1970 Young 3,770,308 ll/l973 Faber et a] 294/19 A Primary Examiner-Johnny D. Cherry Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Warren H. Kintzinger [57] ABSTRACT A golf ball retriever for mechanical entrapment and pickup of difficult to reach golf balls. A semi-enclosed ball cage attached to a tubular shaft extension handle, with a spring-driven, ball-retaining plunger that, when mechanically released, holds the ball in the cage, particularly when the inverted cage is lowered on a ball, and, when the cage is upright, it is used in a scooping action for quick and easy ball retrieval.

)0 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures GOLF BALL RETRI EVER This invention relates in general to ball retrieving devices, and in particular. to a golf ball retriever having a semi-enclosed ball cage of spaced-apart. fixedposition rib members, an extendable handle attached to a hollow stem shaft on the cage. and a spring-driven ball-retaining plunger activated by pressure against a cantilever spring cage rib member, particularly with placement of the cage over a ball. A golf ball can also be scooped up with the cage in a secondary lifting action without necessarily tripping the plunger.

Golf balls in play frequently land in water, or in thick brush of planned hazards of a typical golf course. and the loss of a servicable ball that is in sight but out of reach is especially frustrating to a player. Among commercially available devices meant to aid the golfer are simple basket scoops with no means for picking up a ball that cannot be scooped up. Some existing devices capable of picking up a ball with a closure and retention means may operate effectively only when accurately positioned on the ball. and when a ball is under water or otherwise in a position of difficult access, manipulation of such retrievers into proper position is a difficult problem. Closure of some retrieving devices requires a relatively high force on the golf ball, that, in many instances, causes a ball resting on soft mud simply to be driven out of sight, rather than captured. Many such devices also have mechanical complexities that make them expensive to manufacture and difficult to keep operative. Closure or retainer means is often provided by pivoting basket members and linkages that clog with rust, dirt, and/or other debris.

A practical golf ball retriever should operate effectively wherever the golf ball can be reached, even through awkward access angles. The retriever should be lightweight, compact, and easily carried in the golf club bag, with no exposed prongs. wires, or sharp edges likely to snag clothing and other players. A design with a minimum of moving parts reduces both manufacturing cost and the probability of mechanical failure, or clogging. The retriever should have a spring-driven, trigger-actuated ball retainer element structure that requires minimum manual force for actuation.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide an efficient device for retrieving golf balls and similar objects from relatively inaccessible locations.

Another object is to provide such a device having structure securely holding a golf ball in the retriever.

A further object is to provide in such a device a spring-driven ball retainer clement trigger actuation re leased by light force against the ball or terrain around the ball.

Another object is to provide such a device of minimum weight and bulk, suitable for carrying in a golf club bag.

Still another object is to provide such a device design that can be inexpensively manufactured while incorporating optimum mechanical reliability.

Features ofthis invention useful in accomplishing the above objects include, in a golf ball retrieving device, a telescoping rod handle, a hollow stem shaft having thercwithin a spring stop and a coil spring. a ball retaining plunger cylindrical at one end for insertion into a tubular rod shaft and shaped with a shoulder at the opposite end for trigger cocking, and with a scoop extension for ball catching. and a semi-enclosed golf ball cage having spaced apart rib members, with one being configured as a plunger release trigger.

Specific embodiments representing what are presently regarded as the best modes of carrying out the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

HQ 1 represents a perspective view of the golf ball retriever with the golf ball retaining plunger advanced to hold and retain a golf ball;

FIG. 2. a bottom view of the golf ball retriever with the golf ball retaining plunger in the cocked position; and.

FIG. 3, a cross-sectional view of the golf ball retriever, taken along lines 33 of FIG. 2, with the retaining plunger shown in the cocked position, and in phantom. in the advanced position holding a golf ball.

Referring to the drawing:

The golf ball retriever 10 of FIG. 1 is shown to have a hoop-like, fixed-position rib cage member II and a resiliently deflectable top combination cage rib and trigger member 12 that, together, form ball cage 13, shaped and sized to hold a golf ball 14. The cage 13 structure also includes a cooperative ball-retaining plunger 15, extendable from a retracted cocked position to an extended position holding a golf ball 14 within the cage 13 from the bottom. The ball retaining plunger 15 is slidably received in a hollow rod shaft 16, mounting not only rib member 11 and resiliently defectable top cage rib and trigger member 12, but also part of an extendable handle 17, shown as being of the telescoping type.

Resiliently deflectable top combination cage and trigger member 12 is a strip of resilient material formed into substantially a semi-circle are having an integral trigger foot 18 formed, outward, at right angles, at one end, and at the opposite end, an integral outwardly extended cantilever spring extension 19. The outermost end portion of cantilever spring extension 19 is fastened to hollow stern shaft l6 (typically a piece of rigid, tubular metal material) such as by welding in a conventional manner, or by other conventional means (detail not shown). Resilient top rib trigger member 12 is thereby movable in a limited range in cantilever spring fashion, up and down, in a plane normal to the plane of cage 13 bottom opening, and generally coplaner with the axis of rod shaft 16. This range of movement, as restrained and limited by guide pin 20 positioned through guide slot 21 and fastened in fixed-position rib cage member 11, is sufficient for triggering release of the ball retaining plunger 15, as hereinafter explained.

Referring also to FIGS. 2 and 3, the normal rest position for resilient top rib trigger member 12 places the shoulder locking projection 22 from the cage end of spring extension 19 in overlapping engagement with and along position-holding shoulder 23 of the contoured head 24 of ball retaining plunger 15. Coil spring 25, contained within hollow rod shaft 16, is compressed between spring stop 26 and the back end of ball retaining plunger 15, and resiliently resists retraction of plunger l5 by manual force applied to thumb groove 27. The cantilever spring action of extension 19 moves shoulder locking projection 22 into overlapping locking engagement when ball retaining plunger I5 is fully retracted in this manner. With the ball retaining plunger l5 held in the retracted, cocked position by shoulder locking projection 22, the cage 13 bottom opening is open for placement of the cage 13 over a golf ball 14.

As downward manual force is applied through extended handle 17 and stem 16, to cage 13 placed over a golf ball 14, resistive force from the earth engaged by the cage foot 18, or exerted through the golf ball 14, pushes resilient top rib trigger member 12 upward to disengage shoulder locking projection 22 from plunger shoulder 23 and, thereby, trigger release ball retaining plunger 15. When the ball retaining plunger 15 is so released, the compressed plunger driving spring 25 expands and drives ball retaining plunger 15 forward into cage bottom opening closing position in movement outward from hollow stem shaft 16, until plunger outward travel limiting stop shoulder 28 of plunger 15 engages shoulder locking projection 22, to arrest forward plunger movement. Shoulder locking projection 22 is positioned high enough to insure engagement with plunger travel limiting stop shoulder 28, even at the extreme upward travel limit of resilient spring extension 19 of top rib trigger member 12, thereby preventing ball retaining plunger 15 and spring 25 from traveling entirely out of hollow stem shaft 16, and possibly becoming lost. These plunger and spring 25 parts can, of course, be removed by removing guide pin 20, to increase the upward travel limit of resilient top cage rib trigger member 12 sufficiently for outward sliding of stop shoulder 28 under shoulder locking projection 22 and, thereby, removal of ball retaining plunger 15 and spring 25, for cleaning or repair.

As ball retaining plunger 15 slides in hollow stem shaft 16, proper orientation is important in insuring proper shoulder locking projection 22 engaging contact with position holding shoulder 23 and with shoulder stop 28. Rearwardly extended legs 29 and 29' from fixed position rib cage member 11 are fastened. as by being welded, to opposite sides of the hollow stem shaft 16, and extend in substantially close parallel relation for a short distance beyond the end of hollow stem shaft 16. Ball retaining plunger 15 has flat parallel sides 30 and 30' from the area of shoulder 23 and the downward projection of thumb groove 27, outward, through the contoured end portion, that are a relatively close fit between extenstion legs 29 and 29', respectively. Thus, as ball retaining plunger 15 slides in hollow stem shaft 16, the engaging face of shoulder locking projection 22 is in approximately parallel relation to the position holding shoulder 23 of contoured head 24, and to the plunger travel limiting shoulder stop 28.

In normal use by a golf player, the retriever may be positioned over a golf ball 14 with the stem shaft 16 and handle 17 forming a rather small acute angle with the horizontal plane of the earth, or the angle of access may be a rather large angle reletive to the horizontal plane of the earth, as when reaching down a steep bank. In either case, when shoulder locking projection 22 is disengaged because the trigger foot 18 is pressed against earth or some solid object, or because the arced portion of resiliently deflectable combination cage rib and trigger member 12 is pressed against a golf ball 14, the ball retaining plunger 15, propelled and held forward by the spring 25, traps and retains a ball 14 in the cage 13. The plunger contoured head 24 acts as a scoop, lifting a ball 14 into the cage 13, particularly when the cage 13 has not been placed completely down over a ball 14.

At times, a golf ball 14 may be found resting on soft mud or silt that does not provide sufficient resistance to downwardly applied force to move the resiliently deflectable top cage rib trigger member l2. A missed at- 5 tempt at retrieval may put the ball either out of sight in the mud, or if under water, stir up a cloud of sediment that obscures the ball. With the ball retaining plunger cocked, the retriever 10 may be used in such a situation. with the cage 13 bottom opening turned upward to scoop or dip the golf ball 14 from the mud. in trying to avoid the possibility of pushing it into the mud or stirring up obscuring sediment.

Whereas this invention is herein illustrated and described with respect to a single embodiment thereof, it should be realized that various changes may be made without departing from the essential contributions to the art made by the teachings hereof.

I claim:

1. In a ball retriever; a semi-enclosed ball cage including a fixed-position generally circumferential rib member, and a rib member having a resiliently deflectable extension with a plunger shoulder locking projection; a ball retaining plunger with a plunger position locking shoulder; hollow shaft means attached to said cage members and to an extension handle; and resilient plunger driving means positioned in said hollow shaft means.

2. The ball retriever of claim 1, wherein said rib member having a resiliently deflectable extension is fastened to said hollow shaft means at the rearward end portion thereof to extend in the form of cantilever spring to connection with the cage rib portion thereof. and with the plunger shoulder locking projection located on the bottom of said cantilever spring portion of said extension in close adjacency to the cage rib portion of said rib member; and with said plunger shoulder locking projection positioned to engage said plunger position locking shoulder.

3. The ball retriever of claim 2, wherein said rib member cage rib portion is substantially in the form of a semicircle extending over the top of said ball cage, and positioned for responsive deflective force when the cage is lowered over a ball translated to said cantilever spring portion, triggering disengagement of said plunger position locking projection from plunger retracted position holding engagement with said plunger position locking shoulder.

4. The ball retriever of claim 3, wherein said plunger is also formed with a travel limit stop shoulder that moves into abuttive engagement with said plunger position locking projection in the plunger fully extended state closing the bottom of said cage.

5. The ball retriever of claim 4, with said plunger also formed with a ball scooping contoured head.

6. The ball retriever of claim 4, wherein said rib member having a resiliently deflectable extension is formed with a ground engaging foot at the opposite end of the semicircle portion from the resiliently deflectable extension thereof.

7. The ball retriever of claim 6, wherein there is a guide pin and slot interconnection between said fixed position, generally circumferential, rib and said rib member having a resiliently deflectable extension.

8. The ball retriever of claim 4, wherein said resilient plunger drive means is a resiliently compressible coil spring positioned in said hollow shaft means.

9. The ball retriever of cfaim 4, wherein said hollow shaft means is a cylindrical tube; and said plunger has shaft means is the innermost shaft element of a telea cylindrical body portion slidably received within said scoping shaft and handle structure. cylindrical tube.

10. The ball retriever of claim 4. wherein said hollow 

1. In a ball retriever; a semi-enclosed ball cage including a fixed-position generally circumferential rib member, and a rib member having a resiliently deflectable extension with a plunger shoulder locking projection; a ball retaining plunger with a plunger position locking shoulder; hollow shaft means attached to said cage members and to an extension handle; and resilient plunger driving means positioned in said hollow shaft means.
 1. In a ball retriever; a semi-enclosed ball cage including a fixed-position generally circumferential rib member, and a rib member having a resiliently deflectable extension with a plunger shoulder locking projection; a ball retaining plunger with a plunger position locking shoulder; hollow shaft means attached to said cage members and to an extension handle; and resilient plunger driving means positioned in said hollow shaft means.
 2. The ball retriever of claim 1, wherein said rib member having a resiliently deflectable extension is fastened to said hollow shaft means at the rearward end portion thereof to extend in the form of cantilever spring to connection with the cage rib portion thereof, and with the plunger shoulder locking projection located on the bottom of said cantilever spring portion of said extension in close adjacency to the cage rib portion of said rib member; and with said plunger shoulder locking projection positioned to engage said plunger position locking shoulder.
 3. The ball retriever of claim 2, wherein said rib member cage rib portion is substantially in the form of a semicircle extending over the top of said ball cage, and positioned for responsive deflective force when the cage is lowered over a ball translated to said cantilever spring portion, triggering disengagement of said plunger position locking projection from plunger retracted position holding engagement with said plunger position locking shoulder.
 4. The ball retriever of claim 3, wherein said plunger is also formed with a travel limit stop shoulder that moves into abuttive engagement with said plunger position locking projection in the plunger fully extended state closing the bottom of said cage.
 5. The ball retriever of claim 4, with said plunger also formed with a ball scooping contoured head.
 6. The ball retriever of claim 4, wherein said rib member having a resiliently deflectable extension is formed with a ground engaging foot at the opposite end of the semicircle portion from the resiliently deflectable extension thereof.
 7. The ball retriever of claim 6, wherein there is a guide pin and slot interconnection between said fixed position, generally circumferential, rib and said rib member having a resiliently deflectable extension.
 8. The ball retriever of claim 4, wherein said resilient plunger drive means is a resiliently compressible coil spring positioned in said hollow shaft means.
 9. The ball retriever of claim 4, wherein said hollow shaft means is the innermost shaft element of a telescoping shaft and handle structure. 